In the previous year, Jontay Porter was issued a lifetime ban from the NBA for contravening the league’s gambling regulations. The ex-Raptor colluded with gamblers to intentionally withdraw from games due to injury to ensure the unders on many prop bets, aiming to alleviate his gambling debts.
Their apprehension occurred due to the identification of those wagers by sportsbooks — the unexpected influx of $20,000 bets on Jontay Porter props raised significant concerns — and a federal investigation revealed that Porter was complicit in the scheme and deliberately distancing himself from game participation. Porter has admitted guilt to conspiracy for wire fraud; but, on Sunday, another co-conspirator was apprehended at the Las Vegas airport, resulting in more revelations in court filings.
Documents uncovered by Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic reveal that Porter was in communication with bettors and, at one instance, sent text messages during a Raptors game on January 22 to inform them of his unlikelihood to continue playing while undergoing an eye examination (via Vorkunov).
This case is arguably the simplest to prosecute, given all parties talked through text messages, clearly outlining the offenses they intended to conduct. Charles Barkley may need to supplement his counsel on avoiding criminal activity involving checks by advising against articulating the crimes in written form. Porter is still pending sentencing, and each update on this narrative unequivocally indicates that the planning was far from resembling Ocean’s 11.
